Thinking about buying a treadmill. What should I know?

Go for Lite Commercial or top of the line home. You get what you pay for and $1500 (new) doesn't pay for a lot. Looking at the Sole F80, it is a folding TM. Not something you want if you are a decent runner.

Unless, of course, all you are doing is walking on it.

Why don't you get a headlamp?

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/Black_Diamond_Headlamp_Spot/descpage-BDHS14.html

Then either use Yaktrax or Google screw shoes for better traction on ice/snow (or ice spikes for heavy ice). There's no excuses why you can't get outside.

Good point. I should add a few stats. I run between 60-80 mpw. 5'11'', 150lbs.

I own an F80. It works fine for runs at least up to 7.5 miles (the farthest I've run on it). I weighed 210 lbs when I started my comeback. It is quite sturdy for a fold up. It's not as loud as my True.

Get the gym membership. If the treadmill breaks they have to fix them. And they have other great things there, like weights, bikes, and, ummm...women.

I have an F80. I'm 6-2", 165#. Ran about 70/mpw on it last winter. Long runs were 13 miles. Did Tempos at 5:30 pace. Sure as hell beats the cold, icy, windy, snowy dark runs I have always done in the winters around here. The machine handled everything I wanted to do on it.

Mine is on the 2nd floor of our house. I added multiple layers of 3/4" black fiber board and 2" polystyrene to deaden the sound. Made the wife happy. Oh yea, get a good fan to keep you cool.

My key to getting the long runs in: Just turn up the music, cover the console with a towel and go for as long as you can without looking at your mileage.

Doubled a few days/week. Kind of nice to roll out of bed and get in a morning run in 70 degrees while watching the news when the wind chills are around zero and it's pitch dark outside. I really don't need that anymore. For what it's worth, this was my 40th year of running and my 2nd winter running inside. I'm really liking it.

Find a job where you can always cut out for a run at some point during the day. I like going for a run around 4:00, showering, and going back to the office to do a little more work.

I've been thinking about getting a treadmill and putting it in the basement, but I have low ceilings. Can you tell me how high the deck sits above the floor?

The deck is usually outside in the back yard.

Tv in front for those long easy days that are boring as hell otherwise.

Multiple fans is a must.

wowsa wrote:

Tv in front for those long easy days that are boring as hell otherwise.

Multiple fans is a must.

Fans are very important. It can get very hot.

LoveMySole - thanks for the info. Did you assemble it yourself? If so, was it fairly doable?

headroom - from what I've read, it seems the deck sits about 8" off the ground. My ceiling is 8ft which would leave me about 15" of clearance. I'm thinking that would be enough?

headroom wrote:

I've been thinking about getting a treadmill and putting it in the basement, but I have low ceilings. Can you tell me how high the deck sits above the floor?

The deck is 7-1/2" above the floor. I added another 4" of thickness for sound dampening. It wouldn't work for me in my basement as my ceilings aren't high enough.

donny wrote:

LoveMySole - thanks for the info. Did you assemble it yourself? If so, was it fairly doable?

headroom - from what I've read, it seems the deck sits about 8" off the ground. My ceiling is 8ft which would leave me about 15" of clearance. I'm thinking that would be enough?

Yes, I assembled it myself. The thing is very heavy though. But two of us (both skinny runners) along with my wife yelling at us not to scratch the walls, got it upstairs and into one of our spare bedrooms. It comes mostly assembled so I just had to unfold it and put together the console and some covers and stuff...

My ceilings are also 8'. Plenty of headroom for me I'm 6-2"

I have a NordicTrack C900. Haven't had any problems yet.

ice ice baby wrote:

Why don't you get a headlamp?

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/Black_Diamond_Headlamp_Spot/descpage-BDHS14.html

Then either use Yaktrax or Google screw shoes for better traction on ice/snow (or ice spikes for heavy ice). There's no excuses why you can't get outside.

_________ _______________ _________

Yes there is. Ice, cold. Uncomfortable.

has anybody tried the nordictrack 1750? seems to be a competitor of the sole F80...

thanks!

Check out this site for everything you want to know about nearly every mill on the market.

http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/

FWIW, I got a True and it's outstanding. Before that, I had one of those plastic, folding things like you are talking about. They don't last, they are unstable, noisy, and they shake the house. Fork over the extra $500 and get something with an all-steel frame and a quality motor.